Worth It: Athletic Socks So Comfy, You'll Forget You Have Feet

Much unlike many a magazine editor who recommends you buy all sorts of crap that they most likely got for free, your Jezebel staff doesn’t get jack shit (other than books, unsolicited). And that’s how it should be. But on our own time, in our personal lives, we still buy stuff. So this is Worth It, our daily recommendation of random things that we’ve actually spent our own money on. These are the things we buy regularly or really like, things we’d actually tell our friends about. And now we’re telling you.

I’ll come right out and say it: I have supremely unpleasant feet. They’re shapeless and kind of meaty but calloused, and because I’ve lost three toenails since I started running at the beginning of last year, I’ve got three really weird deformed toenails that grew back in their place. My pinkie toes are malformed, like little mallets, and they never had toenails in the first place. My feet also sweat at the drop of a hat, and the sweat pours forth profusely. And with profuse sweat comes weird shoe friction when I run.

When you’re running, if there’s one thing that’s physically “off” for long enough, it starts to bother you so much that your brain drives you bananas and you can’t go on. Until I discovered these Nike Dri-FIT Elite running socks, I always spent the last half of my long runs thinking about how weird my feet felt. I’d have to stop and take off my socks, let my feet air for a little bit, replace my socks, and slog off. And then, after months of cotton socked frustration, I stopped by my favorite running store and desperately shelled out the $12 per pair in hopes that they’d make a difference. I originally picked them out because I thought the orange big toe looked cool, but luckily, my superficiality paid off in this case.

They were worlds better than the cotton socks in which I used to run. These fit snugly enough that they don’t bunch or fold. They’re cut differently for the right and left foot, which sounds like overkill, but seriously makes a difference. They somehow (witchcraft) keep my feet dry and comfortable, so oversweating is a thing of the past. And I’ve never gotten a blister wearing these.

Since my first pair, I’ve experimented with other synthetic running socks and found that other brands of “performance” socks work just fine (I’ve had good luck with these Asics socks as well), but none work for me quite as perfectly as Nike’s. You’ll love them if you’re a runner or just someone who walks around a lot with disgusting, horrible feet, and I’d recommend these to anyone who doesn’t want to have to think about what’s between their skin and shoes.

Nike Dri-FIT Elite No-Show Running Socks, $12, Nike Store.

Image via Nike. Worth It only features things we paid for ourselves and actually like. Don’t send us stuff.